Wheelchair Bound
by i just really like bagels
Summary: Spencer Reid was shot during a case, costing him the use of his legs. No slash (although there are some Morgan/Garcia vibes) Rated T because I'm paranoid. Multichapter. Also, so sorry that it takes me such a long time to post, please be patient
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first time writing a criminal minds fic (so go easy on me haha) but please read it and review. I love criticism (as long as it is helpful) and your reviews make my day. **

**So anyways, this takes place in Season 2. No slash. It will be multichaptered, sorry if it takes a while, I get busy with school and forget to write. I'm super nervous for posting this. **

**Oh and I should give editing creds to evergreen451 because she is super awesome and my best friend and is kind enough to edit my writing without complaining. **

**So anyways, here it goes. It is set in Virginia, starts at the end of a case. Please don't yell at my medical misconceptions because I am not a doctor and am too lazy to look things up. Also, the ooos are when it changes perspective so sorry if thats confusing. I attempted 3rd person omniscient. Sorry, I'm stalling. I don't own anything criminal minds so don't sue me. **

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The team split into pairs. The unsub was within a two mile radius and since they wanted to cover the most ground possible the quickest, Hotch decided this was the safest and most efficient method. Gideon with JJ, Hotch with Prentiss, Morgan with Reid. "Remember, he has a partner, so we want him alive to lead us to the partner," Hotch's voice barked out at his agents. Starting together at the edge of the dense woods where the trees met the dirt road, they ran off in different directions, unaware of what would happen.

ooo

Spencer's stomach churned with an uneasy feeling. Something was off, he could feel it, he just couldn't pinpoint what. Before Spencer was able to put more thought into it, Morgan began to run, kicking up moist soil. He quickly followed, not wanting to lose his partner before they even got into the woods. While following on Morgan's heels, Spencer's eyes darted back and forth. He took in the dark sky, they uprooted roots of the large trees, the rustling of the leaves against the breeze. _It's probably just the dark, that's probably why I'm a little nervous. No danger is here, Morgan's got my back and I have his. Nothing to worry about. So focus! _Reid tried to calm himself and fool his subconscious that this was nothing more dangerous than sitting in his apartment reading his books. That there was nothing to fear. There was still a deep pit in his stomach, though. Spencer had a very bad feeling about this.

ooo

Once they were a fair distance away from the road, they began to walk, turning and pointing their guns at every rustle in the thick bush. They continued walking onward and eventually reached a small, broken down cabin. Derek signaled with his arm and they ran to each side of the closed door. Morgan raised his hand and counted backwards with his fingers. Three. Two. One. Morgan's foot broke down the door and both agents had their guns out with flashlights, scanning the interior of the structure. Something felt sticky under their feet. They looked down simultaneously to see blood pooling across the dirty, wooden floor. Reid looked up and locked eyes with an armed stranger. He lightly kicked Morgan to look up as well. Both agents now had their guns pointed at the bearded man standing in the middle of the cabin. The man had a gun, and was shifting it to point back and forth between the two FBI agents. "Take the vests off!" He yelled at the agents. They looked back at him with confusion. "You heard me, TAKE THEM OFF!"

"Only if you put your gun down." Morgan replied with a calm, steady voice. They needed to take this man in alive, Hotch's orders.

"Take them off first!" The unsub ordered. "NOW!" The two agents put their hands up and complied, taking off their bullet proof vests, having to put their guns to their sides briefly to do so. Spencer had his off first, Morgan hesitated a second before complying. Before they could think, a shot rang out, lodging itself into Spencer's abdomen. Morgan immediately raised his gun in rage and shot the unsub in the forehead. Reid slumped to the ground, collapsing.

ooo

A shot rang out. Before he could fully register it, Spencer felt an intense pain stab through his stomach. His legs gave out beneath him, the wooden floors pulling him into their embrace. His vision was blackening along the edges, more black spots dancing in front of his eyes. He felt a cold sweat break out; he felt hot but shivery at the same time. The pain had lessened due to adrenaline, but a wave of tiredness overwhelmed him. Worried brown eyes met his closing ones. "Stay with me pretty boy, keep those eyes open for me." He felt pressure on his torso, probably from Morgan's hands. He just wanted to go to sleep and escape, but he struggled to stay awake and keep shock at bay. "Come on, stay awake," Morgan ordered; his voice was swimming through Spencer's head and sounded like it was almost underwater. "Eyes open pretty boy! Open!" Spencer tried to keep his eyes open, putting all his effort into it. He attempted to shift to a more comfortable position. There was one problem though; his legs. He couldn't move them. He couldn't even feel them.

Spencer tried to now put all of his focus onto moving his legs, hell, even moving one toe would help sooth his anxiety. No such luck. "Legs," Spencer breathed out before spiralling into the world of unconsciousness and oblivion.

"Legs." Spencer whispered to Morgan before passing out. Morgan's eyes widened and watched Spencer's eyes flutter shut.

ooo

"NO SPENCER! NO! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SLEEP!" He picked Spencer up into his arms bridal style and run, not caring about causing further damage, only caring about getting him to a hospital. He sprinted through the woods, stumbling over branches and roots but somehow staying upright. He saw the car, the team outside it, the road, and he ran faster. "Hospital! Now!" He yelled out to the team urgently, too panicked and in a hurry to explain more. They loaded Spencer's limp body into the back of the car, laying him across the back seats. Gideon drove double the speed limit and Morgan sat in the back, hovering above Spencer and applying pressure to the bullet wound. Hotch was in the front. There was no room for the rest of the team so they called for Penelope to pick them up. _No no no no no. Not you buddy. This is all my fault. _Morgan thought, tears streaming down his face, watching Spencer's chest barely rise and fall. _If only I shot the killer right away, if only we didn't take the vests off and negotiated further, if only... _Morgan's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival to the hospital. Hotch got out and ran into the emergency doors they parked directly outside of, returning a second later with doctors and a gurney.

Morgan watched as they loaded Spencer's frail, thin frame onto the gurney. They started CPR when he stopped breathing. He followed them through the hallways, the world seeming unreal and hazy around him. "Sir, you can't go in there," a nurse said in a nasally voice, blocking him from the operating room. He was prepared to bust through her, to make sure he was there with Spencer, but Hotch grabbed his shoulders from behind and led him to the waiting room sitting him down in a plastic covered chair. All they could do now was wait.

ooo

Penelope was sitting in her office, trying to find Tom Cruise's cell phone number, when a call broke the comfortable silence. Assuming it was Morgan she happily answered. "What's up, Sweet Cheeks?" She flirted.

"Garcia," It was Emily's voice. Garcia blushed at her mistake. "We need you to pick us up ASAP." Prentiss's voice was urgent and serious. Garcia wrote the address she was instructed to pick them up on a pink sticky note with her purple gel pen.

"I'll be right there." Garcia assured, wondering what was going on. She got out of her office and walked to the elevator, impatiently pushing the button repeatedly. The elevator was taking forever so she took off running down the stairs.

She panted a little when she reached her car in the parking garage. Her hatred of running reminded her why she would much rather work with her beloved computers than in the field. Garcia turned the key in the ignition and sped off to pick up her stranded team members.

She turned off the interstate onto the dirt road, after driving a few miles on the rocky, unpaved trail she saw Emily and JJ waving her down. Penelope stopped right in front of them. Emily ran up, taking shotgun, and JJ sat in the back seat. "We need to go to the hospital. I'll explain on the way." Emily told her, voice cracking slightly. JJ sat quietly in the backseat, silent tears wetting her cheeks.

They got on the interstate again and sped in the direction of the hospital. "What happened my lovelies?" Penelope asked, adrenaline racing through her veins, wondering if her beloved chocolate god was injured.

"Reid... he- he was sh-shotttt." JJ quietly stuttered from the back seat. Penelope's face paled, her little baby Reid was shot. Last time she saw him he was excitedly rambling to her about quantum physics like an excitable puppy. Thoughts raced through her head a mile a minute. _Is he ok? What happened? Is... is he dead? _They sped along the highway, riding in silence. The only noise in the car was the muffled sobs of JJ.

Penelope parked as close to the hospital entrance as she could and got out of her car slamming the door behind her. They walked to the entrance of the hospital, hesitating at the door, afraid of discovering their friend to be dead. When they walked in, they immediately saw they boys in the waiting room. Gideon sitting on a plastic covered chair, his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees. Hotch was pacing back and forth. Morgan was sitting in a chair a few down from Gideon, his knee jittering up and down impatiently. Morgan's eyes lit up slightly when he saw Penelope. He got up and walked over to her and without saying a word, pulled her into a bear hug. Penelope buried her head into his chest, her tears wetting his shirt. They eventually pulled away and Morgan and Emily went to go get everyone coffee. Penelope looked at the clock, 1:27 am. This was going to be a long night.

ooo

Hotch continued to pace across the waiting room. _This is my fault, if we didn't split up this wouldn't have happened. _Guilt gnawed at him, even though deep down he knew he made the right call of splitting up. Morgan came back and handed him a styrofoam cup full of black coffee. He sat it down on a magazine littered table and continued pacing. He walked up to the receptionist at the front desk. "Any news for Spencer Reid?" he asked, growing more and more impatient by the minute.

"Let me check," she tapped on the computer keyboard in front of her, "he is still in surgery. I don't know when he will get out." She picked up her People magazine and resumed reading about whatever celebrity scandal was the hot topic at the time.

Hotch, walked away and continued to pace. He turned to his team, "This may be a while, you guys should go home and get some rest, I'll call you if anything happens." They team shook their heads.

"I'm not going anywhere." Morgan grumbled.

"Me neither." JJ quietly added.

The team remained in the cramped waiting room. Penelope sat in the chair next to Morgan, resting her head on his shoulder. Emily tried to distract herself by flipping through a housekeeping magazine. JJ sipped at her coffee. Hotch continued to pace, watching the second hand on the clock tick in circles at an impossibly slow rate.

ooo

Spencer woke up. The first thing he noticed was the steady beeping of a heart monitor, and he felt an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. Without opening his eyes, he tried to swipe it off. A cool gloved hand grabbed his arm and put it back down at his side. The small movement of his arm made him exhausted. _Where am I?_ His thoughts slurred. His mind jumped, he was in the hospital. _Maybe they took me away and locked me in a psych ward. I'm not crazy! I swear! _His heart raced causing the monitor to beep faster and faster. "We need to sedate him again," he heard a female's voice echo somewhere in the darkness. His heart beating faster and faster, he thought his chest would explode. _You can't lock me up like my mom, you can't. I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy, I'm not cra- _Medicine seeped into his iv, putting him back into a trance.

ooo

A nurse came out into the hallway and walked into the waiting room. When she walked in, a very attractive African American man stood up at her presence. "What's the word?" He asked.

"He woke up about an hour ago but freaked out so needed to be sedated again." She told him. "We will continue monitoring him but we will not know much more until he wakes up again." She watched the relief wash over the six anxious faces. "He is stable now but still in critical condition." She added, not wanting to get their hopes up too high. _Should I tell them he is probably paralyzed and will never walk again? Not yet, we don't know for sure. _She turned around and began walking back.

"Wait!" The black man yelled out, stopping her in her tracks. "Can we see him?"

"Not yet. When he wakes up again, only immediate family can visit him. Then after he recovers a little you guys can"

"He doesn't have a family," The black haired one stood up, telling her with a monotone yet sad voice, "we are his family."

"I'll go check who is listed as his emergency contact." She walked to the receptionist and they whispered back and forth. The receptionist tapped some more on her computer and then showed the nurse the screen. "Aaron Hotchner," she called out, and the black haired man took a step forwards, "you are listed as his emergency contact and will be allowed to visit him when he wakes up again. You guys might as well sit down, it will be a while until the medicine wears off."

ooo

The medicine they gave to sedate Spencer was beginning to wear off. He felt a little nauseous and the morphine drip they gave him made him feel woozy. Right above where he got shot was a sharp pain when he wriggled around. Below that was numb. Spencer opened his eyes, the bright light made him blink a little and his head was throbbing but he kept them open. He squinted, trying to figure out why he was here. _Oh yeah, I got shot. _He began to remember him and Morgan in the cabin. Taking the vest off. Anything past that had escaped his memory. _Morgan! Is he ok? I shouldn't have blacked out, I should have made sure he was ok, did he get shot, where is he... _A doctor's voice stopped his train of thoughts. _I should pay attention to the doctor. _No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite focus on what the doctor was saying, he caught a few words every now and then but was too drugged up to piece them together.

Spencer closed his eyes in exhaustion and frustration. He just wanted to go to sleep and wake up in his bed and discover it was just a bad dream. He just wanted to go home.

Hotch walked in the room, escorted by a nurse. Spencer felt a warm hand grab his cool one, he opened his eyes to find Hotch's face. "Hey doctor, how are you doing?" Hotch asked.

"I'm sorry." Spencer whispered, feeling ashamed and guilt ridden.

"For what?"

I dont know. Just sorry." Spencer closed his eyes again and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

ooo

Hotch stayed there for a while, watching over him. Spencer looked even smaller than usual in the hospital bed. Tubes covered him. There were several going into his arm, one that reached underneath the covers which Hotch assumed to be a catheter, a tube drizzling oxygen into his nose. For some reason it made him think of his own son, so small and vulnerable looking. He sat in a chair pulled up next to the bed, he had Spencer's and was stroking it with his thumb. It was so cold, so boney. _He's too young for this, too young for this job, too young for this life. _He knew this wasn't true, although he was the youngest member of the team, he was born to work as a profiler. Still, Hotch felt guilt stir up his stomach. _I don't know how, but this is my fault. I'm sorry Spencer. _He sat there for what seemed like eternity before getting up to tell the rest of the team how Spencer was doing.

He walked into the waiting room, and saw the team sprawled out on the chairs asleep. All except Morgan, who looked like he hadn't slept in days. Hotch looked at the clock, it was 5:30ish. Morgan walked up to him, rubbing at his red rimmed eyes and overcome with guilt. "How is he?" Morgan asked.

"He's alright." Hotch lied. It would kill Morgan to see Spencer right now.

"Good. I'm going to go get some more coffee." Morgan shuffled in the direction of the cafeteria.

"You should get some sleep, you need it."

"Nah, I'm good." Morgan waved him off and continued walking down the hallway. _If Spencer was here, he would correct me saying it was fine instead of good. Then he would ramble of some random fact that nobody really listened to. _Morgan kinda missed the rambling that had driven him crazy over the years.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey sorry it took so long to update, been super busy with sports and haven't had time to write. Hope you enjoy it, sorry if there are errors I overlooked in it, didn't quite have time to reread and edit it a whole bunch so it might be kind of rough. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions and kind words! It makes my day! Anyways, here it goes...**

**(oh and I don't own anything criminal minds so please don't sue me)**

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Reid looked up from beneath the covers as a white coated, older man walked down the hallway, standing in front of his bed. "Yes?" He asked, wondering what the doctor had to say.

"We have been looking through your charts and have come upon a conclusion." the doctor paused. "I am sorry to say you will not be able to walk again."

Reids heart plummeted. Although he assumed this would be the case, hearing from the doctor made it all the more real. "Is there anything you can do?" He asked in a small voice, his mind still racing at the news he just received.

"There are some experimental treatments that have helped regain some mobility in a few patients in the past-" the doctor paused, "but with the severity of your injury it would most likely result in less mobility than you already. The procedure itself is very risky even with your young age and good health, if there were to be complications you would probably die. I highly recommend you do not go through with it, frankly, I am not even allowed to recommend it unless asked specifically."

"I want you to try, please." Reid choked out, the words coming out before even processing. _What are you crazy? He said it could lead to losing more function than you already have, not to mention death if something were to go wrong! Yeah, but what would I do if I can't walk, be stuck behind a desk all day? I would rather die trying than give in to this future. _Reid battled with himself in his head and by the time he snapped out of it the doctor had left. _Good job genius boy, you couldn't even wait for his response before drifting off in your own little world. _

Reid laid back on the pillows propped up, wishing he had a book to read to distract himself. He instead tried to distract himself by trying to move his legs. His brow furrowed and he bit his lip, no matter how hard Reid concentrated he couldn't even move them an inch. He slammed his head back onto the pillow and yelled out in frustration, not loud enough to disturb anyone, but still filled with angst. His eyelids scrunched together and bitter tears streamed out from between them. He pulled the covers over his head, wishing he hadn't taken his vest off, wishing he listen to his gut... wishing the bullet killed him.

ooo

"This is your fault!" Morgan yelled, pinning Hotch against the neutral colored wall. "It's your fault this happened, if we didn't have to take the unsub in alive Reid would be ok. This is all because of you." He pulsed with fury, the blame had to put on someone and after blaming himself, he pinned it on the closest person, Hotch.

"Morgan let it go, this is nobody's fault." Emily told him in a steady yet harsh tone. "Just let it go." Morgan's grip on Hotch's collar tightened then loosened slightly.

"And did you bring the unsub in alive?" Hotch asked Morgan, jaw clenched. Without waiting for an answer he continued. "No you didn't, you shot him. And now his partner is still out there, probably plotting some sort of revenge. So Agent Morgan, you are saying I didn't do my job well enough, would about you?" Hotch's voice was calm yet provoking, Morgan pushed him up against the wall tighter while he was talking and suddenly let go, storming out of the room.

Morgan walked through the hallway seething with an uncontainable anger. "Fuck this!" he yelled, leaning his head against the wall and punching it with his fist. _Fuck all of this. _

He did the only thing he knew would calm him down, Morgan took his phone out and called Garcia who was sitting in the waiting room he stormed out of.

She answered on the third ring. "What is it honey bunches of oats?" She asked sounding concerned with a touch of anger from his outburst.

"Can you meet me in the hall?" He asked, skipping the sweet nickname and feeling awkwardly vulnerable.

"Of course babe, I'll be right there."

Morgan watched as she walked down the hallway to where he was standing. Before she could say anything he blurted out, "Is this my fault? Did I not do my job well enough?"

"No, of course its not honey. This is nobody's fault." She soothed, oddly calm considering the situation. She pulled him into a hug. Morgan resisted at first but then gave into her embrace finding it comforting. "No go be a man and apologize to Hotch." She whispered into his ear, pulling away.

"Ok sweetness." He replied with a wink, trying to regain his masculinity. He walked in the waiting room to see Hotch watching him with cold eye. "Hotch, I'm sorry. I overreacted, I shouldn't have pinned you against the wall."

"I could have gotten out of it." Hotch defended in monotone, yet matter of fact way.

"Oh I bet you could have," Morgan replied with a chuckle.

ooo

Hotch rolled his eyes, accepting the agent's apology. "I'm going to go ask if we can see Reid yet." He walked over to front desk, he looked the secretary in the eyes and asked, "Can we see him now."

She silently groaned in frustration, they were not going to leave her alone until she let them see their co worker or whatever he was. "Let me see." She gave in. She tapped on the phone and quietly talked to the doctor on the other end of the line. "The doctor said he's stable and you guys can see him, just don't startle him or anything. He's had a rough night." She clicked on the computer a few times, "He's in room 308 now."

Hotch shook his head. _Rough night _was a complete understatement. It made him chuckle a little as he walked over to the team to tell them the news.

As he strode over, Gideon stood up. Hotch motioned with his hand and a slight head tilt for them to follow him. Penelope quickly stood up and clutched her colorful purse, following the boss.

Hotch, looked back at Emily. She was still sitting, her face was tensed up and it seemed she was torn on whether she was ready to see Reid. "You coming?" He asked.

"Yeah. Just give me a second." She slowly stood up and trailed behind the rest of the team on the way to the elevator.  
They stood and waited for the metal doors to open, Derek pushed the button repeatedly as if it would speed up the arrival of the elevator. Penelope grabbed his forearm, silently hinting that it wouldn't make a difference. Out of all the team, Gideon seemed the calmest and most collected. He stood patiently with a neutral expression on his face as if this was nothing more than sitting on a park bench in the afternoon sun. His calming presence soothed the rest of the team as they walked in the elevator and ascended upwards towards the third floor.

*Ding* The elevators doors opened, Hotch walked out first, a few paces behind followed Morgan. Gideon held the door open with his arm politely, JJ smiled a little and slowly walked out of the elevator. Emily took her time and stepped out a few seconds after JJ, Gideon nodded at her and lurked behind the group.

They stood outside the open door of room 308 as if waiting for a signal to go in. Morgan stood rigidly as if he was about to kick down the door of a serial killer's residence. The team just stood in silence, awkward tension filling the spaces of air between them. Morgan finally took in a deep breath and stepped into the clean looking hospital room. The rest of the team waited outside, not wanting to startle Spencer if he were to wake up abruptly.

The walls were painted white, not a off white or homely cream color but the kind of white found on printer paper. In the middle of the room was a grey framed hospital bed where Spencer was asleep. He looked so small and frail, his thin body in the middle of the mussed up covers. He took a seat in the plastic covered chair by the bed and sat forward, examining the fellow agent. All the tubes and lines and the heart moniter caught him off guard. He was expecting him to be asleep, to somehow be more pale than usual, but he wasn't expecting for Spencer to be poked and prodded at like a voodoo doll. Spencer started to stir a little. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times.

ooo

"Glad you could join us." Morgan chuckled goodnaturedly, trying to put the other man at ease.

"Oh, hey." Spencer groggily replied, "Why are you in here?"

"I came to see you pretty boy, the rest of the team is out in the hall, didn't wanna to startle you."

"They can come in." Spencer tried to sit up a little and become a little more host-like so he wouldn't be impolite. He secretly wanted to avoid the rest of the team seeing him like this, especially the girls. He was not used to being taken care of or showing vulnerability and it made him feel uncomfortable. He rubbed at his eyes to somehow get rid of some of the fatigue clouding his mind.

"Heya! How are you doing?" Penelope asked as she walked in, plastering a wide smile to her face. Spencer saw through it, she looked exhausted. He felt a little guilty when he saw the dark circles under all of their eyes but he decided to play along.

"I'm alright, how are you?" He quietly responded.

"Sweetie how are you really doing?" She asked again, this time her voice lacking the cheerful mask. Before he could answer, the rest of the team came in.

"Hey Spence. How are you?" JJ asked sympathetically, grabbing his hand. _Why is everyone asking me how I am doing? _He thought. _I'm fine, they should get some sleep, it's not like I'll leave. _He spaced out, thinking of books he read featuring hospital escapees, unaware of his surroundings while in his mind.

A low voice snapped him out of his fantasy. "You still there kid?" Gideon asked. Spencer looked around confused, Gideon was now the only one in the room.

"Where did everyone go?" He asked, concerned something happened.

"You spaced out for a while kid, the doctors came in and said only one person could be in here at a time."

"Oh, ok." Spencer whispered, relieved it would be less overwhelming the next time he had visitors, big groups made him nervous, especially when he was in this condition.

"There's something I have to tell you. No matter how bad it feels, how hard it seems, you will get through this. Do you understand?" Gideon said firmly.

"Yeah." Spencer said quietly. He didn't quite grasp the subject of him being ok after this though. Nothing felt like it would go back to normal, he didn't even know how he would get in his apartment when he got out of the hospital. Stairs were out of the question and there was no elevator because it was such an old building. Spencer kept his mouth closed about these thoughts, he didn't want a lecture about not letting things stop him at the moment. Instead he just said, "I'm tired, do you mind if I go to sleep?"

"No of course not kiddo, sleep well."

Spencer didn't fall asleep right away, he laid in the hospital bed with his eyes closed asking questions he did not have the answers to.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I am so sorry that took so long! I was so busy and then when I finally finished the chapter, I didn't have internet access for a while so I couldn't post it! Oh excuses excuses! Anyways this chapter focus's more on the case then the other 2, sorry if you don't like that. But anyways I hope you guys like this chapter and I don't own anything so don't sue me!**

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Hotch called the team back to work despite Reid's circumstances.

"He is in the best hands possible and we have work to do." Hotch explained to the exhausted team. "We know the unsub Morgan shot down has a partner. According to our profile, it's the submissive partner and he was in an abusive relationship with the dominant, so he will either back down, or more likely, increase the killings to prove to us he doesn't need someone to rule him. These killings are likely to become more and more violent. Remember the profile, he is likely to be in his mid-30s, white, and in a job that emasculates him or makes him feel inadequate compared to his coworkers. Get to work." Hotch wrapped up his briefing, having reminding the team of who they were after and that there was still unfinished business. "JJ- call the local authorities and give them the profile; we don't have time to waste catching them up. I wouldn't be surprised if there was already a body count." He hurried off to his office to work some more, his inner workaholic tendencies blocking his mind from the events that took place the previous night or the fatigue they left him with.

Morgan and Prentiss went to go check out the crime scene from the previous night, hoping to find clues they had missed in the rush and panic. JJ was on the phone with the local authorities, and Garcia scurried back to her office to dig through files to find the remaining unsub.

The car was silent as Morgan and Prentiss drove to the woods. When Morgan turned on the radio to an upbeat rap song, Prentiss turned the music down. Morgan smiled a little and turned it back up. Prentiss turned the radio off and crossed her arms.

"Are you mad at me too? I know Hotch thinks this is all my fault." He asked, a small chuckle hiding the hurt in his voice, but his expressive eyes dark with guilt and pain.

"No." She replied. "I'm just thinking. I know we have to go back to work and catch this son of a bitch- but it just feels wrong, leaving Reid there alone."  
"He's probably asleep." Morgan reassured her, his words failing to sooth his own fears. "He'll be fine. We can go see him later."

"Yeah, but still." She replied quietly, sinking back in her seat. The rest of the ride was silent, the car filled with awkward tension.

The car pulled over against the thick woods. Daylight painted it in a new picture, golden sun twinkling through the outstretched tree branches and squirrels chasing after each other. Prentiss stepped out of the passenger side, door slamming behind her, and Morgan got out a second after. They made their way through the woods. Morgan stayed a few paces ahead, recalling where the cabin was. When Morgan finally saw the cabin through the trees, his shoulders tensed up a bit and he grabbed his gun tighter. He was not going to make the same mistake twice and let Prentiss get hurt this time. They stood to either side of already broken down door, peering in. It looked clear. Prentiss held up her hand and counted down on her fingers. Three... two...one. They stormed in, guns held in front of them and eyes scanning the interior of the cabin. After a few moments of searching Prentis put down her gun. "It's clear."

"Yeah." He replied, nodding. He put his gun down slowly and began to fish around for clues on the unsub's whereabouts. Prentiss walked across the room slowly. _Thunk._ She noticed a louder sound when her foot struck a section of the floorboards.

"Hey Morgan, we have a hollow spot." He walked over as Emily found a small hole big enough to put her thumb in and used it to pry open the concealed trap door. Now exposed was a large square pit with a rusting metal ladder leading down to darkness.

Morgan went down the ladder first and Prentiss started heading down herself when she heard Morgan's feet hit the hard floor beneath. When she was down the ladder, Morgan was waiting next to it with his flashlight already scanning the underground room.

"Holy shit." Morgan breathed out quietly, surprised by the strung up bodies across the room. Prentiss was speechless. Morgan called Hotch, "Hey Hotch, I'm gonna need backup and forensics down here." He hung up and kept looking. The walls had a row of thick metal hooks going around the room. On about 8 of those hooks, a body hung as if it was a picture frame. Morgan got closer. Each body appeared to be intact with no defense wounds and they had a similar level of decay. Prentis walked towards a metal table in the corner with a tray of surgical equipment.

"Look at all of this blood." She remarked, gesturing at pool on the floor and the streaks across the table. "It looks fresh." She gestured at a large puddle dripping from the nearest body.

"I don't see any lacerations, do you think they were drained."

"No, not by the pattern of the splatter, check the back maybe?" she inquired.

Morgan put on his gloves and gently turned the body so he could see the backside.

"Hey Prentiss, check this out. It looks like he cut into the back and then sewed it back up." There was a large, oozing gash on one of the victims backs that had been meticulously stitched up again. "I think he did this all recently, it appears like he is in the midst of a psychotic break and won't stop until he reaches his goal."

"If he is able to stop." She paused. "This all doesn't fit with the previous MO, with the partner, it was by gunshot to the head execution style. Are all the bodies like that?" Morgan walked over the the next body over.

"It appears so." He turned towards Prentiss, "Possibly without the partner, he can murder them with his own technique that would fit his own fantasies."

"That would make sense, it looks like he is trying to create his own identity to get away from his old identities."

"It's strange, based on the profile, I would assume he would just continue the work of the partner." Morgan paused. "He may be stronger than we originally thought."

Backup and forensics arrived, Prentiss caught them up to speed and Morgan continued to look around. Samples were being collected and bodies were photographed before they were transported in large crinkly, black bags. Hotch, who had come in with the forensics, watched over every aspect as if trying to find something to critique. It took several hours for the crime scene to be combed through and it took even longer for Morgan, Prentiss, and Hotch to head back to headquarters.

It was 19:58 by the time they got back to the BAU. Morgan, JJ, and Penelope all got ready to head out at the same time and headed out the door together. Hotch emerged from his office, "Where are you guys heading to?"

"The hospital." JJ responded matter of factly, hoping her boss wouldn't insist they stay to work.

Hotch stood for a second at his doorway, "Wait for me." He walked back to grab his briefcase then walked out with the team. They all rode in Hotch's car, expecting to carpool on the way home or more likely stay in the waiting room until morning. Penelope rested her head on Morgan's shoulders, her eyes threatening to close from exhaustion. Hotch noticed the silence and drooping heads of the others. "After we see Reid all of you need to get some sleep." He ordered, yawning and trying to keep the car from drifting off the road. The parking lot to the hospital was relatively empty so they parked close to the front entrance. Hotch felt like it was all a dream, everything that had happened seems so unreal. _This couldn't have happened. _Exhaustion made his head feel fuzzy and all of his thoughts blur together. He zoned off as the others got permission to visit Spencer and his current location from a nurse.

"Come on." JJ beckoned, guiding Hotch towards the elevator. Again with the awkward elevator silence, there was no random facts or remarks that Spencer would usually make to break the tension. They got to his room and peered in, to nobody's surprise, Spencer was reading.

Disregarding orders from earlier, they all came in at the same time.

ooo

"Hey how are ya doing?" Morgan chirped, he altered his mood immediately to make Spencer feel more at ease.

"I'm alright," Spencer replied weakly as he set the book down on his stomach, he cleared his throat, "is there anything I can do to help on the case."

"We've got it covered." Hotch said in a tone that was somehow stern yet gentle.

"Really, let me help," Reid blinked up, "it's my fault we are so far behind..." his voice trailed off and his fingers itched to pick the book back up and continue reading. Reading had been such a great distraction from his now useless legs.

"Maybe tomorrow but you need to get more sleep." JJ mothered.

Reid blushed from the compassion that was so unusual for him, "I think you guys are the ones who need the sleep, come back when you have the time." He responded quietly. "After all, where could I go?" He joked gesturing down at the lower half of his body. His teeth clenched down from the reminder he gave himself.

"We will be back tomorrow, I promise," Garcia assured, stifling a yawn. "Goodnight my love." The team left to get sleep and Reid picked his book back up. He tried to read but focussing seemed impossible so he placed the book down and closed his eyes.

Sleeping felt impossible. Reid tossed and turned, unable to get a comfortable position. All the sudden, the world began spinning around him. His eyes squinted trying to make the ceiling stop moving but it didn't work. A wave of fatigue followed by chills overwhelmed him as his heart jumped into his throat. Reid grabbed the arm rail and fumbled to press the call nurse button. Something wasn't right. He couldn't find the button and losing control of his body, he began swimming through blackness and into unconsciousness.

ooo

Nurse Paulette strode through the halls with the confidence of a cheetah surrounded by a pack of gazelles. Even though she was holding a urine sample and was on the way to the lab, her hips swung back and forth and she carnivorously scanned each room for hotties. She peered into the room that held the skinny yet attractive doctor of some sort. His heart monitor was beeping all over the place and he looked like a dead fish. _Shit he's seizing! _Her instincts overrode her need for feminism and she ran in, screaming for a doctor. She frantically pressed the nurse button on the side of the bed for added precaution and grabbed his head to keep him from hurting himself or choking on his own tongue. The young man's arms were thrashing his upper body continually jerked upwards. _C'mon, stay with me here. _The doctor ran in, he began calling out orders and all of the sudden, everything went still. Too still, the heart monitor flatlined.

"Starting CPR, someone get the defibrillator ready." The doctor began pounding on the skinny man's chest as an intern squeezed a blue, inflated contraption continuously to simulate breathing. A nurse brought the defibrillator over. "3..2..1...clear." He pressed down on the dying man's torso, his chest lifted from the electrical current but the machine continued to flatline. "Come on buddy, you gotta fight." The doctor mumbled. "3..2..1..clear." This time the heart monitor began beeping again at a regular pace. "Lets get him a breathing tube to be safe." The doctor sighed out in relief and walked away taking off his gloves. The nurse inserted a breathing tube and attached it to a ventilator, the man gagged as it went in but then relaxed.

"I'm going to call his emergency contact," a fellow nurse told Paulette.

"Good plan, I'll go get you his chart." Paulette responded, sashaying off towards the nurse's area.

ooo

Hotch was lying in bed about to turn his reading light off when his cellphone buzzed across his nightside table. He looked next to him at his sleeping wife Haley and slowly moved his hand across so he wouldn't wake her.

"This is Hotchner." He answered quietly, racking his brain on who would call so late.

"Hello Mr. Hotchner, this is Nurse Susan. Dr. Spencer Reid has placed you as his emergency contact. Is that correct?"

"Yes, what happened?" He asked worriedly.

"He had a seizure and went into cardiac arrest. He is currently stable but on a ventilation tube, we thought we should let you know."

Hotch's stomach jumped to his throat. "Ok, umm thank you very much." He hung up, not needing to know more or having anything else to say. He turned the light off and laid back, deciding not to tell the rest of the team this until after work tomorrow. He can't have them anymore distracted than they already are. After all, it's not like there was anything they could do other then worry.

Beep beep beep... Hotch swiped his arm at his alarm clock, turning it off. Sleep had been an impossible task the previous night, his eyes were glued open and his mind raced through a highway of random thoughts and pent up nervousness. Most of the thoughts went back to the same source: was he doing the same thing by not telling the team about Reid's present condition. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his hand across his sore neck. Hotch tiredly put on appropriate work attire and walked into his sleeping son's room, giving him a kiss on the head before heading to work. Anxiety filled his stomach with angry hornets and he wondered if he was making the right decision.


End file.
